Training Materials, which is better?

[ScubaFeenD]

Hey everyone,

My question is this: Which certification agency has the best training materials? Im not talking about flash or fancy pictures and nice decals. No, instead I am talking about the meat of training material. If you have the ability to compare I am interested in which agency you all think can get the message across best and most completely.

I know that the real important part of training is the instructor, but I think that the required training materials agencies use can indicate a lot, and I am interested who does it best as a more objective way to measure. Also, Im interested in all levels here from lower level open water to technical diving (even though this isn't a technical forum).

Perhaps this isnt the best place to post this question, but I figure advanced divers out there would have the most experience with this issue. I look forward to your responses!

 

[El Dude]

Oh no...that question can start a bar fight! I am not going to mention any agencies or what I think of them. What I am going to say is it's not the agency that makes the course, it's the instructor. The agencies will set guidelines, some set strict guidelines (no more, no less) and others set minimum standards (individual instructors can make these classes very challenging, these are where I would go). It is up to the individual instructor to go above and beyond and carve you into a safe and competent diver. Agencies can have little to do with the quality of instruction, for example you can find an instructor who certifies divers in multiple agencies...this is quite common. Forget the agency, instead sit down with potential instructors and compare the length of their classes and the course material. Personally I would avoid short-wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am type one or two weekend courses. Buyer beware. You are the customer, shop around and get the most for your dollar.

 

[knotical]

As with many of us here on ScubaBoard, I'm primarily familiar with a single agency's materials, so cannot answer well.

What is best depends on the consumer of the training material. Some people learn better with lots of cartoons and color; some learn better from video; some learn better from text, some from instructors. etc.

If you're looking for an answer for yourself, you might want to define "best". If you're looking to satisfy the general public, I suggest some of the larger agencies who can afford to hire educational specialists, provide multi-media, and update their material occasionally.

My personal preferences lean toward the USN.

 

[El Dude]

My personal preferences lean toward the USN.

The USN?!?!?! As in "Accelerate your life" USN??? That's freakin' awesome! I've never heard anybody say that...at least they let you blow $hit up. Maybe I should try to get a c-card from them...do they offer a weekend course? knotical that is the funniest thing I've heard all week, I'm gonna share this one!

 

[plumcrazy]

You asked for an opinion so I will offer mine. I have three training manuals from two different agencies. One starts with an "N" the other starts with a "P". The OW training manual copyright 1990 from "N" is fair. I think it could give a little more info but the style or writing more closley resembles a textbook. The other two manuals from the "P" copyright 2005 & 2007 both IMHO STINK. They are written to a second grader reading level and read like a Jack and Jill story. The info is in there there is just a lot of junk you have to wade through to get it. My professional life requires me to read a lot of technical info so perhaps my brain has been influenced in this regard I don't know. As you have said however it is not the manual but the teacher that makes the biggest difference. Once again this is just IMHO.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

I have materials from 4 agencies. And has already been said it does depend on the instructor and the students. I myself do not like flashy stuff with lots of additional information that is useless to the course being taught. I came up thru PADI and always found the ads for more classes distracting and some of the writing juvenile. NAUI has some good material that is presented with little distractions and a lot of good info. SEI is still developing our materials and as such are continually updating and adding to our offerings. There is no advertising, material is kept simple and yet thorough and we will even print student workbooks to suit the style and location of the instructor if they want them. We are free to develop our own supplements to suit our students best interests. The other stuff I have is all YMCA.

Just looking at say the rescue course from all 3 I can say this. To me the NAUI student rescue manual is great. SEI's will allow the instructor to teach a very good rescue course and give the student all the basic info they will need and is good for the average diver.

But the NAUI Manual covers so much and has so much extra information. I'll be using it to supplement my SEI rescue courses. The PADI rescue diver student manual I have reads like a magazine with all the ads in it. Take this course, buy this PADI logo stuff, visit your PADI dive center to do this or that. Things that frankly have no business in a book covering so serious a subject IMO. I have not seen SDI or SSI material but at some point will pick up something from them to have in my library as a reference.

I also have some IANTD materials that clearly show the technical foundation that they come from. More very good stuff that is geared to educating divers as opposed to selling them more stuff.

 

[H2O 70]

As has been pointed out, the instructor and your relationship with the instructor is very important. A good instructor will spend the time with you to answer your questions and ensure you understand what is being taught.

I got my OW through one of the regions LDS. As I moved up the food chain, I realized how much of the practical aspects of the course my teach skipped. For everyone else, I'm not suggesting my instructor skipped optional stuff. I got my advanced through another shop. Good instructors, but the shop owner was one of these guys who thinks they way certain things are taught and certain diving practices are just silly and only presents the material with a supper negative slant. I got my DM though a private instructor. I'm going to try the SDI Online for AI.

Also, something to consider is online vs. classroom. I've seen people respond well to both. That is more personal though.

Instructor is more important than the course materials.

I just looked up your profile. It looks like you have both PADI and NAUI AOW? Just curious. If you're looking to move onto Advanced Nitrox and such, post in the technical forum. Locally I can think of three instructors I would suggest.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Just as an aside I also deal with a lot of technical data at my real job and have always been impressed by books that offer clear and concise data. My own writing reflects this as well when doing courses or papers. In high school English comp we were assigned to write an essay on any subject. Forget the exact length but it was around 4 pages. Others did theirs on family, a book, an event, etc. Mine was on the specifications and development of the German Tiger Tank. I got a C, was told it had TOO MUCH information and was beyond the understanding of most readers and would not hold their interest. I got the grade bumped up to a B after I explained that I was not directed to dumb it down for the average idiot. But I was sure that she, the teacher, was not one of those and clearly understood the entire paper. The look on her face told me everything I needed to know. Lucky me I got her for English Literature the next year. It was not pretty and the C I got for the year in that class kept me from getting my honor cord by one place at graduation. If you are going to write a text book write a text book. And don;t gear it to the least common denominator. That is what they are doing in our public schools and look at the results of that. People with education degrees writing books and consulting on subjects they know nothing about to make money and insult those who do have some measure of intelligence.

 

[TSandM]

I think the GUE Open Water manual has it, hands down, over anybody else's. I believe they also now have training videos available to people who have signed up for specific classes.

UTD has excellent on line classrooms and videos available, both to students registered for their classes, and also available to anyone who wishes to purchase them. But they suffer from the lack of a written reference that someone can pore over when away from their computer.

PADI's materials are organized and use some educational principles to try to reinforce core ideas, but they are so clearly written for someone with a third grade education that I can barely stomach reading them.

My NAUI Nitrox manual was written much more for an adult audience.

I have, I think, the cave diving manual from every agency that teaches cave. The GUE manual covers more material but has no how-to in it. The others are pretty similar, but if I had to pick one, I think it would be the NAUI one.

My opinions are obviously extremely personal, based on my own personal preference for materials that assume a certain level of education and motivation from the student. Absent those things, other materials are probably more effective.

 

[rongoodman]

I like the GUE Tech 1 and Cave 1 manuals and wish they were available in print instead of just PDF. I haven't looked at their Open Water text yet. I see lots of praise for the PADI DSAT materials and I just don't get it. Too many missing concepts, too many silly mnemonics and poorly done pictures. The newer TDI texts aren't bad, but still thin. My favorite non-agency text is still "Deco for Divers" by Mark Powell.